Monday, 12 December 2016

I made a few projects that will be featured there, but the biggest project I made is the Dear Der quilt!!!
It was inspired (the name at least) with one of my fav prints from the collection- Dear Deer ;)

When I started thinking about what kind of a quilt I would love to make with this neutral gender kind of a fabric collection, I realized that it's a perfect fabric option for my 12 years old boy and his newly decorated room. Something bold, modern and fun, boyish too....and that's how I came to the idea of making the big dear head, just like in one of my Deer Houndstooth prints;)

This collection has a great balance of light-low value fabrics and those darker and it was great for this kind of project!!! Here are some finished pictures of the quilt that measures 80.5" x 55.5"-which is a perfect size for kid's bed ;).

In case you are asking for a pattern , I made it available in my etsy shop
And, there is also a 30% off if using the code: HAPPYHOLIDAYS till the end of this year!!!

There is also the free quilt pattern that I designed for this collection called Windowscape (that I am planning to make for our big bed), in case you are looking for something bigger and maybe a bit more traditional ;)

Sunday, 4 December 2016

Christmas stockings in different fabrics and
even sizes can be fantastic as part of Christmas décor, are great for gift
giving and are very easy to make. You can play with different fabric
placements, using even some quilt leftovers, making unique and fun pieces. You
can adorn and customize them by adding buttons, ribbons, trims, beads, doing
maybe some hand or machine embroidery details.

The featured fabrics are from my Blithe
fabric collection for Art Gallery Fabrics.

You will have to tape 4 pages to obtain the stocking pattern in real size that, after taping, will look like this:

I had so much fun making this striped patchwork piece in Blithe fabrics! You will need 13 strips of fabrics cut in 2 x 28" size to have enough for cutting 2 shapes, that will be front and back piece of the stocking. Or you can just use plain fabrics, to obtain simpler look.

Materials

For 1 stocking

Paper template (provided)

Main fabric - two 21 x 14” pieces
(or 2 fat quarters) or ½ yd of fabric if using one same print and horizontal
layout (if the print is directional, you will need 5/8 yard to use the right
direction of the print)

If you are making the strip pieced patchwork
(like pictured), you will need 13 (thirteen) 2” x 28”strips of different
fabrics

Cuff - 18” x 6” fabric strip on fold

Lining - two 21 x 14” pieces (or 2 fat quarters)
or ½ yd of fabric if using one same print

Trim or ribbon for hanging
(you can even make your own with fabric leftover), 7”

Medium weight, one-sided fusible interfacing
or batting* (optional) in same size as other pieces

Cutting mat

Scissors

Iron

Needle and thread

Sewing machine

Pins

Fabric pencil or marker

Directions

1. Using the provided stocking template ,
cut four same fabric pieces (two for front-back and two for lining).

*Optionally, using the same provided
template, cut two interfacing-stabilizer or batting pieces and iron or sew them
to main fabrics: front and back pieces.

2. Pin and sew front to back pieces, right
sides together on marked line (stop sewing approx. 5” from the end). Be sure to
notch ( make small V shapes) the curves in order to obtain nice shape
and prevent scrunching.

3. Pin and sew the lining pieces together
(stop sewing approx. 10” from the end). Be sure to notch ( make small V shapes) the curves in order to obtain nice shape
and prevent scrunching.

4. Make the cuff: take the 18 x 6” strip,
fold it on the longer edge, right side inside and sew the shorter edges. Turn
the cuff to the right side and press it nicely.

*Optionally, you can embroider this cuff for
a nice, customized look.

5. Pin and sew the cuff to the main fabric
pieces, on the upper stocking edge, making sure to offset it from both vertical
edges.

6. Make a loop with the trim or ribbon and
sew it to the unsewn corner of the stocking.

7. Place main fabric pieces on the top of
the lining fabric pieces (or vice versa), right sides inside, pin and sew them together on the
upper, straight edge.

8. Right sides inside, pin and sew the remaining
edge close, starting from the main pieces, leaving the 3” gap open on the
lining part of the stocking, that will allow turning the stocking inside out.

9. Turn the stocking inside out and sew the
gap closed. Put the lining part inside and press nicely.

10. Optionally, top stitch the upper right
edge of the stocking, all over, to secure that the lining stays evenly inside.

Sunday, 23 October 2016

Almost a year ago, I was asked by Michelle Wilkie to join her Colour Blog series as a
guest and share my process for choosing colour palettes.

After
an overwhelming response to what people want to know about designing modern
quilts, Michelle has decided to run a blog series on colour. It runs throughout
2016 with a different colour focused each month. Her goal was to teach colour
theory in a more practical approach for quilters with the posts that include:

• fabric pulls,

•general tips to try (Inspiration Color board, Using focus prints to
pull a color palette, using nature to draw inspiration, looking at other art
mediums/other works, using paint chips...etc.)

My
task was to talk about my favourite color and to answer some questions like: “How
I choose color?” and “Where do I get color palette inspiration?”

So,
let’s get started;)

My favourite
colous are teal (aqua) and purple. Teal or aqua, as shades of blue are the
most beautiful and inspiring colour tones.

I
was very flattered to be Pat Sloan’s guest at Aurifilbuzz last month, as the
Designer of the Month of September and I also had the task to choose my
favourite shades of blue and put a collage with those hues.

If
I could, I would place aqua tones in each fabric collection, because I never
get bored of it as colour. It’s the most beautiful colour of the sea and a
colour that looks so live, intense and refreshing.

You
can see the block I made inspired with aqua tones (created with my fabrics) and
also download a free block.

For
this occasion, I made this collage with my own aqua/teal fabrics, released with
Art Gallery fabrics, in the past 3 years.

And
while creating it, I realized that actually each of my fabric collections had some shade of aqua/teal/turquoise included. Only
in my latest “InBlue” fabric collection(it will be introduced at the Quilt
Market later this month), I didn’t include it, because I wanted
to move a bit from my “comfort zone” and make a fabric collection featuring
more cobalt tones and primary shade of blue, that is more tricky to blend with
other tones.

So
going back to the questions:“How do I choose color?”
and “Where do I get color palette inspiration?”, my answer would be that all
starts with the theme or inspiration.

So,
once I decide and know what my design theme is going to be, I think about the
best colours to depict it. I create the color palette, choosing from the
Pantone (Fashion+Home) colour cards and finding the best shades within the
existing Pure elements by Art Gallery fabrics. So, it’s basically the theme or
the use of the fabrics that determine the tones that I will use.If I design something that will be more
suitable for the little ones, my colour palette will tend to soften a bit from
my usual bold tendency.

When
designing quilt patterns, as I usually have the certain Fabric collection which
should be featured and shown in the best way through a quilt pattern, I like to
play with different type of contrasts. I also like combining strong, saturated
colours with some subtle and non-coloured tones, like white, grey and black. I
like the combination of low valued prints with very bold ones, like I tried to
do with my Avantgarde fabric collection and prints.

Mock-up
for the Flux quilt featuring Avantgarde fabrics

Rastrum
quilt featuring Indelible fabrics

Mock-up
for the quilt featuring Pandalicious fabrics

Maybe
here I can step aside and try to include some basic colour theories that may be
very interesting for modern quilters, if they didn’t have a way to hear about
them in some art classes.

Paul
Klee / Small Regatta, 1922.

Paul
Klee / Tomb in Three parts 1923.

And
if more interested about the colour theory, you can try to find the book “The
elements of Color” by Johannes Itten, which served as some kind of Bible to me,
when first studying about colour theory.

Itten,
was an artist and a teacher in Bauhaus school and from his work and work by
other Bauhaus teachers and students, you can get a lot of inspiration for the
quilts as well ( for example: Josef Albers, Anni Albers, Paul Klee, Wassily
Kandinsky, Gunta Stölzl etc.)

Johannes Itten made a color sphere
comprised of twelve colours (three primary, three secondary, and six tertiary)
that shows the relationship among colors, as well as gradations of
saturation. Itten’s concept was based on seven different methods of
contrast: contrast of saturation, of light and dark, of extension,
complementary contrast, simultaneous contrast, contrast of hue, and contrast
between warm and cool colors. He was absorbed by the work of the old
masters and he was also a vital participant in modern art movements. Itten has
been the first to associate color
palettes with four types of people. He began by splitting
colours into 2 sections: WARM (yellow based) and COOL (blue based). These were
then divided again into LIGHT or DARK. The result was 4 harmonized groups of
colours that he called after the 4 seasons of the year. (spring = warm + light,
autumn = warm + dark, summer = cool + light, winter = cool = dark).

I
hope that some of this was inspiring read for modern quilters and can’t wait to
read all the posts from this series and here is the list of all the
participants: